Khachatur Abovian Armenian writer, democratic educator Date of Birth: 15.10.1805 Country: Armenia

Biography of Khachatur Abovian

Khachatur Abovian, an Armenian writer, enlightener-democrat, and educator, was born in the village of Kanaker during the Persian domination. He belonged to the ancient and noble Abovian family. Abovian received his education from 1818 to 1822 in Etchmiadzin and continued his studies from 1824 to 1826 at the Armenian school of Nersisyan in Tiflis. His teachers were notable Armenian educators of his time, Poghos Karadagtsi and poet Arutyun Alamdaryan.

From 1827 to 1828, Abovian taught at the Sanahin Monastery. In May 1828, he began working as a translator and secretary for the Armenian Catholicos in Etchmiadzin. On September 27, 1829, he accompanied an expedition led by Professor Friedrich Parrot from the University of Dorpat to the summit of Mount Ararat. He then pursued his studies at the University of Dorpat from 1830 to 1836.

In 1836, Abovian returned to his homeland and renounced his clerical title. From June 1837 to June 1843, he served as the superintendent of a local district school in Tiflis and simultaneously opened a private school to train teachers for public schools. From August 1843, he became the superintendent of a local district school in Yerevan. In the spring of 1848, he prepared to leave for Tiflis to assume the position of director at the Nersisyan school but mysteriously disappeared.

Abovian opened the first school in Armenia based on European pedagogical principles, which had a completely secular character. This caused opposition from the clergy. He was the first to teach and compile textbooks in colloquial language (ashkharabar).

As an author, Abovian wrote several novels, plays, novellas, poems, fables, pedagogical works, and children's literature. He was the first in Armenia to engage in scientific ethnography, studying the life and customs of peasants in his native village of Kanaker, the inhabitants of Yerevan, and collecting and studying Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Kurdish folklore.

His life and work have been the subject of five biographical films (1948, 1955, 1964, 1969, 1984). His most renowned work is the historical novel "Wounds of Armenia" (1841, published in 1858), the first Armenian secular novel written in colloquial language. It depicts the difficult situation of Armenians under Persian rule.

The protagonist of the novel, Agasi, represents the ideal citizen and patriot, inspiring many future writers. Agasi acts as a precursor to the patriotic nationalists of the second half of the 19th century.

This work by Abovian contributed to the emergence of the new Armenian language in literature, replacing the ancient Armenian language known as "Grabar," and marked the beginning of Eastern Armenian literature.

The novel "Wounds of Armenia" is also notable for its political tendency and the folklore material it contains about Armenia. Abovian was also knowledgeable in the Kurdish language, folklore, and way of life. Some of his works in this field were published in Russian in the Tiflis newspaper "Caucasus" in 1848.

In 1937, a museum dedicated to Abovian was opened in Kanaker, in the historic house where he was born. A modern exhibition building was later added to the museum. The museum houses personal belongings, a rare collection of manuscripts, books, and periodicals. A monument to Abovian was erected in front of the museum.